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Luria advocates for more COVID-19 testing, transparency in nursing homes

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Congresswoman Elaine Luria, D-Va., joined a bicameral effort calling on Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma to address the COVID-19 crisis occurring within nursing homes across the country and the dire need for additional federal support and guidance.

“I am deeply concerned about the health and safety of the residents and staff in nursing homes because they currently lack the resources to follow CMS guidance, including screening individuals entering the facility, notifying residents of positive tests, and access to PPE for staff members,” Luria said. “CMS must act to ensure that understaffed nursing homes can complete accurate and timely reports and provide that information to residents’ families. Our communities deserve answers from HHS and CMS so we can better tend to the needs of our nation’s most vulnerable.”

Over 1.3 million Americans live in nursing homes, and they are among the most susceptible to the health effects of the coronavirus. Many of these facilities lack testing kits, PPE, and enough staff to protect and care for residents.

At least 9,800 nursing homes and long-term care facilities have reported COVID-19 cases, and over 44,000 residents and workers have died from this disease.

Link to the full letter can be found here.

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